Derby Bound -- an occasional & semi-interactive Racing Breed Dynasty

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My first dynasty so bear with me.

One of my very favorite memories as a kid was picking the horse races at Longacres in Seattle. My brothers and dad and I would go through the lineup in the newspaper and make our picks, then my dad would go through the results the next day as if we had bet $2 across the board on our selection and we'd see who won the most. The one or two times a year when we would actually go to the track were some of the best days of the year. I have loved the sport for as long as I can remember.

The Racing Breed is the best horse racing sim I've come across. The graphics are, well, poor; and the interface leaves quite a bit to be desired, but the engine underneath has been compelling enough for me to totally overshadow everything else.

So, FOFC Stables has been created. We are based in Florida and have a starting stake of $100,000 to work with. This will be used to both purchase our horses and also to maintain them monthly.

There are four tracks in Racing Breed. Florida is the lowest of the four. California and New York are best, then Kentucky and then us. For game purposes this means the purses we will race for and the general competition level is somewhat below the others. For us to race a horse at one of the other tracks we'll have to be convinced it can compete at the higher level (since it costs $1,500 to ship a horse out for a race).

There are a couple of house rules we will be using. First of all, any horse we acquire will be kept until a) it is claimed; b) it does not earn it's own upkeep after an entire year (this does not apply to two year olds) and c) it has finished its 6-year old campaign, we'll take those on a case by case basis to see if we want to go further with them -- as horses age their performance drops.

For claiming horses from a race, I will limit it. It is possible to get really good horses from claiming and it can be exploited a bit too much. What I usually do is to specify a particular week and say I can take one horse during that time. With our small budget we'll be somewhat self-limited until we earn some more money.

Thirdly, we will stay at our home track and only ship horses out for stakes races. And last, nothing is written in stone.

The semi-interactive part has two parts: you can name horses that are purchased as yearlings. If you want a horse named after you just holler and presto! Also, as we go along feel free to make any suggestions about horses. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to copy graphics over very well or how I'm actually going to describe all this, but we'll see as we go along.

We have picked our silks -- olive green with a navy cap and chest stripe. Next we'll start looking for horses at the Horses of Racing Age auction!

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1/2/2006 -- Horses of Racing Age Auction

These are horses that have generally raced in the past. They come from stables that have folded or are just horses that other stables have put up for sale.

We have a total of $100,000. In Florida it costs $18,000 per year to feed and train a horse. If we pick up six horses in this auction it will cost us $9,000 per month. I'd like to have at least four months training supply on hand, so we have $64,000 to spend on six horses.

Generally the horses in the Racing Age auction are 4 and older, which is fine for our purposes -- we need grinders that can make some money for FOFC right off the bat. As we get some purse money from races we can start to look at promising 3 year olds in claiming races.

Hopefully we'll find a good mix of male/females, sprinters (up to one mile)/routers (mile and above) and maybe a grass specialist or two, but we won't be able to be too picky with our budget -- these first couple of years we'll be in the lower claiming ranks for the most part.

So we'll follow the auction and see if there's a price/horse that fits our need.

One thing we find quickly is that we will not be able to buy six decent horses with $64,000. Most that even seem possible are going in the $20K range. On the fly we decide we'd love to get three or four for $80K and hope for the best on the track!

Horse #29 Flying Gift is a 5 year old mare. Despite traffic trouble in her past three races she has a second at a $20K claimer and in the money in two $25K starter allowances. Starter allowances are a great way to make money if you've got the right horse -- it can't be claimed from the race but has to have started at the level within the past six months. The bidding is starting at $25,000. We bid, are raised to $30,000, go to $35K and are raised to $40K. Too rich for FOFC at this point......have to drop out.

#37 Rusty Moon is an unraced 3 year old colt with unimpressive workouts. However, the price is right -- $14,000. We bid and are driven up to $22K. I don't want to go that high for a horse I'm not excited about. Pass. Starting to wonder if we'll find much here at all or if we're going to have to poach from claiming races.

We don't have to wait long. #38 Gold Suit is a 5 yo horse. He's been running midpack in NW1X allowance races, mostly sprints where he closes strongly. I think that he could be quite effective at a mid-high level claiming route and the bidding is only $18K -- we cross our fingers, make the bid and we've got our first horse!

When it rains it pours. Horse #40 Devil Key is a 4 year old filly who is still a maiden (has never won a race) after 13 starts. However, she does have 7 third place finishes and all her races I can see are the highest level of maiden races. I hope we can drop her into a maiden claiming race and get a win and see what happens from there. A bid of $24,000 and we get to find out.

#58 Ain't Armor is a 3yo filly out of Way West. She hasn't shown much so far, but for $8K we're willing to take the chance. She becomes our third horse.

#64 Nasty Sis is a 6yo mare. She's been racing at around a $40K claiming level and been putting up some decent speed ratings. The good thing about an older horse is that it is much less likely to be claimed, so worst case I think we can race her in the $25K range where she should be very competitive without worrying too much about losing her. At $16,000 she's a bargain in my eyes.

We're down to $34,000. I'll go $10K but no higher for another horse.

Nothing else comes up. We start the racing season with four horses.

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FOFC STABLES BEGINNING 2006:

Gold Suit -- 5yo h, lifetime record 17 starts, 2 wins, 4 place, 1 show, $47,650

Devil Key -- 4yo f, lifetime record 13 starts, 0 wins, 1 place, 7 show, $37,920

Ain't Armor -- 3yo f, lifetime record 1 start, 0 win, 0 place, 0 show, $510

Nasty Sis -- 6yo f, lifetime record 17 starts, 2 wins, 2 place, 5 show $55,120

Our four horse stable will cost $6,000 per month for food/training. Our current cash on hand is $34,000.

Our trainer is Billy Vanderhorst. One of the quirks of Racing Breed is that we will have to determine his effectiveness by how he does over the year. His favorite jockey to use is Brian Fishman, who is averaging B's for his ratings.

Changing a trainer costs money, so we'll hold off until we know more there.

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1/10/2006 The first condition book is out and it's time to enter our horses. For our first look at them on the track we'll focus on trying to find races that I think will play to their strengths -- how they perform will determine where we go after this.

We find a 8.0 furlong (one mile) dirt race for Gold Suit at a $50,000 claiming price. This is a lower level than he's been running at and I believe he should be pretty competitive here.

Devil Key hasn't been able to break through at a straight 35K maiden level. We find her a maiden claiming race for $32,500 at 6.5 furlongs to try and get a read on her.

Ain't Armor is a bit of a mystery with only one race under her belt. We'll start her at a 6 furlong $16,000 maiden claimer to see what she's got.

Nasty Sis has been 3rd her past three races on the turf at $32.5K claiming. We find a 8.5 furlong turf race at $25,000 for her.

This upcoming week will have races for just Devil Key in the third on Sunday Jan 15th.

[Izulde]

This is going to be interesting to watch.

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WEEK 1:

Devil Key is the 8-5 favorite in her $32.5K maiden claiming race and draws the 1 hole. All the other horses in the race have been running in maiden claiming so she has been running against better.

She hangs around in fourth about five lengths back, makes a nice move but can't quite catch the winner -- second by 3/4 length. She looks to be around the right level though and hopefully will break through soon.

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WEEK 2:

Devil Key comes out of her race healthy at a 95% fitness level. I usually wait until a horse is at least 98% before finding another race. This does suggest that she may be pretty durable.

Races this week:
Nasty Sis -- 6th race Thursday 1/19
Gold Suit -- 6th race Sunday 1/22

Nasty Sis is the 5-2 second choice in a $25K claimer at 1 1/16 miles on the grass. She starts from the 5 hole in a field of 8.

No traffic issues but she hangs around midpack with a decent charge at the end and finishes third about 3/4 length behind the winner. An 87 speed rating at this level is pretty good but I was somewhat disappointed in the performance and can't quite put a finger on why....

Gold Suit is on the far outside in a field of 8 in a one mile $50K claimer. He is dropping in class but gets no respect at 25-1. At those odds I'll drop a $20 across the board bet on him -- that seems an overlay to me.

He outruns his odds but is an even fourth well behind the winner (9 lengths) and never really threatened. $50K might be too high, I think we'll look for a $40K claimer for him next.

We end week 2 with around $43K in the bank, so we've made some money even though that first win is still to come.

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WEEK 3:

Both Gold Suit and Nasty Sis come out of their races OK, but nobody is ready yet for me to reschedule them.

Race this week:
Ain't Armor -- 2nd race, Friday 1/27

Ain't Armor is the 2-1 favorite in her 6 furlong $20K maiden claimer. She drew post 7 in a field of 8.

She is clearly second best in the field but no match for the winner, a horse named Cheer Fox who runs away by 11 lengths. Clearly the right level for her though -- her time will come.

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WEEK 4:

Scheduling: Gold Suit and Devil Key are both ready to race again at 98% fitness levels. I drop Gold Suit from $50K to a $40K claimer at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt and find a race this week for Devil Key at the same $32.5K maiden claiming level she was at before, but stretching her out to a mile -- her running style suggests that will suit her.

Race this week:
Devil Key -- 3rd race Wed 2/1.

Devil Key is again the favorite at 9-5 and drew post 8 in a field of 10. Her speed ratings suggest she is the class of the field with an 8 point edge over her nearest rival.

Unfortunately, past performances are just that as she runs a dull fourth with a speed rating 8 points under her last. The added distance didn't necessarily help her but at the same time she didn't fade so it may be that race might be a benefit down the road.

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WEEK 5:

Scheduling: Ain't Armor (99%) and Nasty Sis (98%) are ready to run. I think that Ain't Armor might appreciate some more distance so find a mile dirt race at the same level she raced last time, $20K maiden claimer. Nasty Sis has been running on grass lately with just thirds to show for it, so I spot a mile race on the dirt at $20K claiming (5K under last race). Still not too worried about her being claimed from under me and even if she is I'm still coming out ahead.

Race this week:
Nasty Sis -- 3rd race Thurs 2/9

As you might expect, Nasty Sis is the 6-5 favorite coming out of the 2 hole in a 7 horse field. She has a clear advantage over the rest of the field with only one other real contender and I would be worried about a claim if it wasn't for her age. I expect a good performance.

And racing luck does not favor FOFC Stables. Nasty Sis gets boxed in on the turn as she tries to make her move while the one other contender draws off. Another place finish.

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WEEK 6:

Neither Devil Key nor Nasty Sis is ready to reschedule.

Race this week:
Gold Suit -- 5th race, Thurs 2/17

Gold Suit draws post 3 in a field of 10. He is 5-1 in a 1 1/16 mile $40K claiming race on the dirt.

And again traffic derails our race. Gold Suit is blocked from the backstretch through the end of the race and finishes 8th. It probably wouldn't have mattered anyway as the favorite was allowed to get clear and wired the race......but this one was a throwaway.

[RPI-Fan]

I got really into this game for a few weeks last year. The only thing that really killed my interest was the fact that you can't play it in windowed mode. Alas.

[Coffee Warlord]

This dynasty is nothing without a horse named Diseased Yak.

[hoopsguy]

Reading along, and requesting a horse named "Lynch Barkeep49". Or if you find a really, really poor horse that you can pick up dirt cheap go ahead and throw some kind of Eagles-based name on it Something like "Glue Factory Eagles", perhaps?

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Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

This dynasty is nothing without a horse named Diseased Yak.

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

Reading along, and requesting a horse named "Lynch Barkeep49". Or if you find a really, really poor horse that you can pick up dirt cheap go ahead and throw some kind of Eagles-based name on it Something like "Glue Factory Eagles", perhaps?

Heh. Both suggestions noted. With luck by December (game time) I'll be able to add a couple yearlings.....that's when the auctions are.

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WEEK 7:

Scheduling: Devil Key is ready. She hung a bit at the longer distance and I see there is a race back at the 6.5 furlong distance she ran well at her first start.

Races this week:
Ain't Armor -- 9th race Thurs 2/23
Devil Key -- 2nd race Fri 2/24

Ain't Armor is the 7/2 second choice starting from post 1. I'm a little concerned about that because she does not seem to have much early speed and could get trapped on the rail.

Traffic isn't a problem. Faster horses are -- she is a well beaten third. I'm starting to wonder about my trainer, who has a win percentage so far of just 9%. Horses that are positioned to compete well and have decent odds should be doing better than they are. It is still quite early though.

Despite starting from the outside 8 post, Devil Key is a heavy 3-2 favorite and appears to have a clear edge on this field.

And she does, clearing traffic and sitting just off the leader Pretty Zone until the top of the stretch where she makes a nice move and draws off by 2 1/2 lengths, earning a decent 73 speed rating.

That is FOFC Stables first win! Our cash balance is now $58,650. Another win and I think we can start looking for a claiming bargain.

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WEEK 8:

Scheduling: Only Gold Suit is ready. His last race looks horrible because of the traffic he encountered, so I believe that I can drop him from $40K to $32.5 and possibly steal a purse. We find just that kind of race in the 7th this Thursday March 2nd.....it's also a bit shorter at 7 furlongs.

Gold Suit is 5-1 and starting from post 7 in a field of 9. His main threat is the 5 horse Wakin Laughin, who has won four in a row by 7 lengths or more at $16K, $20K, twice at $25K and is now stepping up to $32,500.

The problem with being a closer is that you need everything to go right to put yourself in position to win. In this race the second and third choices were allowed to get 6 lengths on the rest of the field and though Gold Suit made a nice run to get up to third he just had too much ground to make up. He did beat Wakin Laughin who finished fourth and was claimed.

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WEEK 9:

Gold Suit suffered a quarter crack last race. His condition is at 92, I'd guess his next start will be delayed a couple of weeks as a result. My rule of thumb with horses coming off injury is to make sure they're at least 99% before scheduling again as long as their workouts haven't fallen way off.

Scheduling: Both Ain't Armor and Nasty Sis are ready to go again. Ain't Armor is gathering some earnings but shows no sign of being close enough to win at MCL $20,000, which is the bottom level at this time of year for a 3 year old filly. We'll keep racing her and see if more experience will help her develop. There is a 6 furlong race Wednesday and she'll be in it. Nasty Sis appears to be better on grass than dirt, but grass races are fewer to find and as a 6 year old she's not much of a threat to be claimed, so we'll continue to run her at a lower tag on the dirt (my goal right now is to win one more race which should allow us to pick up a claim). We find a 1 1/16 mile race at $20K for her Sunday.

Ain't Armor is the 7-2 third choice. She starts from post 8 in a 9 horse field. The 8-5 favorite is outside of her. Again, she finishes third but only 5+ lengths behind the winner rather than the 10+ of the past few races, plus she runs her lifetime best speed rating so far, 56. Maybe she will race into shape.

Nasty Sis is the 3-1 second choice and has post 5 in a field of 9. The track is slightly off (rated 'good') and seeing how she likes the softer grass I hope that this will help her.

It sort of did. She hung back the first half of the race then made a big move through the turn and drew off in the stretch......but a distant second behind the favorite who was never headed.

Purse money is purse money though, and we're now up to $62,000. We're in the market to make a claim.

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WEEK 10:

Nobody is ready to race this week, so we're going to look for claim targets.

With our limited budget we'll be scouring maiden races, looking for horses who:
--are unraced but show strong workouts
--are dropping from straight maiden races
--have had traffic issues that have affected their prior races
--or are stepping up but show signs of being able to go higher
--have strong sires but little to show for it yet, they may be slow to develop or been used on the wrong surface/distance.

The seventh race on Thursday has some interesting options, it's a $25,000 claimer for 3 year old colts. Admirable Hero won a straight maiden at the end of his 2yo season. His first race this year he was jumped to a grade 3 stakes and was drubbed, as he was again in his second race of the year at an allowance level (though he was five wide the first turn). Tempting but I'm passing. Palace Debate is out of Bertrando, an expensive sire and one who is generally better on grass. Palace Debate has run on dirt only, but I decide once again to pass. As it turned out, Admirable Hero was stomped and finished last, while Palace Debate was a respectable third.

Only one other intriguing horse comes up, a 3 year old filly who far outclasses a $16,000 Maiden Claimer. We try for her (she wins easily) but lose out on the claim. So the week ends with a fizzle.

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WEEK 11:

Scheduling: Devil Key is ready off her $32.5K maiden win. She needs to drop from that level against other winners, so we find a $20K claimer at a mile. Ain't Armor is also ready again -- we spy a $16,000 maiden claimer and hope the drop will get her over the hump. Both races are two weeks out though, so once again we've got nobody running this week.

Continue to look for claims to no avail this week.

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WEEK 12:

Scheduling: Nobody else ready to schedule.

Ain't Armor is a heavy 3-5 favorite in a 6.5 furlong sprint at $16K maiden claiming. She breaks from the 5 hole in a field of nine. She should win this handily based on the past performances.

She breaks her maiden, not by a lot of lengths but rather with a strong move at the top of the stretch that runs by the pacesetters and draws off by 2. Yay!

The claim search continues. We find a 3yo named Seattle Back, who has raced three times with each race in the 90's. He broke his maiden at $25K by 9 lengths, came back to win by 3 over $20,000 winners and was a close third last out at $40,000 -- which is where he is at today, stretching out to a mile from the 6f races he has been running. $40K is a lot, but worth the risk -- even though horses will run better ratings against weaker opponents, 93, 90 and 92 is tough to pass up. I cross my fingers and place the claim. His speed rating drops to an 87, but he prevails in a tough stretch drive -- and our claim goes through, Seattle Back is the fifth member of FOFC Stables! I hope he is able to compete at an allowance level.

Devil Key makes her first start against winners, a mile race at $20K. She is at 5-1 and is one of four horses in a 9-2 thru 6-1 group that are behind the 3-2 favorite. She breaks alertly and sits behind the leader until the far turn when she begins to tire and fades to fourth. The good news is that she looks to be competitive at this level. Maybe shorten her up a bit for next time.

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WEEK 13:

Scheduling: Gold Suit has recovered nicely from his cracked hoof. He was moving down the stretch at 7f last time out, I find a 8.5F race around 10 days from now at the same $32.5 claiming price.

Nobody is scheduled to race this week.

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WEEK 14:

Scheduling: Ain't Armor and Nasty Sis are both ready to go again.

We have a bit of a dilemma with Ain't Armor which is common to cheaper 3 year olds. She broke her maiden last out at MCL $16,000. I suspect that her level against other winners is somewhere in the $10,000 claiming range. But there are no races on the calendar for 3 year old fillies at that low of a claiming price -- those won't come along until later in the year when 3 & 4 year olds run together. So we'll run her more sparingly against the lowest claimers we can find -- if she performs well it's a nice surprise, and if not we'll at least keep her in racing shape until there are more races available. It is now the beginning of April, I find a $16,000 claimer at 8.5F around one month from now and hopefully she'll continue to develop in the meantime.

Nasty Sis has not quite been able to get there at $20,000. This could be because of age, but it may be more likely that she is a horse that is content to be near but not necessarily IN front (lifetime record 2 wins, 4 places and 6 shows in 20 starts). We find a race at $16,000 for her next week.

Gold Suit breaks from the 6 hole and is 9-2 in a wide open field of 8 (six of the horses are between 7-2 and 5-1) at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt for a $32,500 claiming price.

He runs right about to his odds, an even race where he sits in fourth throughout. A mild bid down the stretch but never threatened.

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WEEK 15:

I've decided that it is time to make a trainer change. The trainer you're assigned at the beginning of the game is randomly chosen, and since there aren't any visible trainer ratings it's hard to get a feel as to what you've got. There are two main reasons I've decided to spend the $2,500 for a new one:

1) There have been more than one occasion where I thought our horse was far more competitive than it proved to be (also borne out by very low odds).
2) Billy Vanderhorst's record so far this year: 46 starts, 4 wins, 10 places, 11 shows. That is a win percentage of 8%, not so hot. Worse in my mind is that high proportion of places/shows compared to wins. That's a sign of a trainer who has horses in shape that he's not getting optimal performance from.

So I find a trainer who has a much better proportion of wins to place/shows.
Ubaldo Diaz is currently fourth in the trainer standings despite substantially fewer starts than the others around him. His record so far this year is 104 starts, 26 wins, 12 places and 13 shows. That's a very high win percentage of 25%, which I don't expect by any means but signifies a trainer who gets the job done when his horses are ready. Plus his favorite jockey has good ratings across the board. Diaz is our new trainer.

Scheduling: Devil Key is ready. Her last race was at a mile and her first against winners ($20K clmg). Hung towards the top at 5-1, faded a little at the end. I'm OK with a race either at the same claiming level or maybe one down but would like to try a bit shorter distance. I find a 6.5F race at $16,000 claiming on April 30 and enter her there.

Nasty Sis is the 4-1 second choice in a $16K claimer at one mile. She starts from post 7 in a field of 10. Last time she was not impressive at all despite finishing second. Could have been the track but I'm worried that she may be aging quickly. Very interested to see how this race goes.

And we get one of those frustrating races. Nasty Sis hangs back around 7th but still within striking distance of the leader. Stays out of traffic around the turn but just as she starts to accelerate at the top of the stretch she gets boxed by two tiring horses. She is obviously trying to charge but has nowhere to go and ends up 8th. The question then becomes -- would she have had enough to be a factor at the finish? One of the things I love about The Racing Breed is that you have to figure that out yourself.

Personally I think she would have been toward the lead but have doubts she'd have won. But we'll keep her where she is for now unless we find a nice race one rung down next time she's ready to go.

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4/24/2006: easier to keep track this way, (this date is always Monday). I'm trying to find a uniform way to post each weeks activity...

NOTES: Seattle Back hasn't raced since 3/31, yet is still only at 97% three weeks later. His first four races were in a two month span, so it could be that he's just a bit tired from that effort. Or his average workouts suggest he could be on the verge of a minor illness (this is something you don't find out about until AFTER a race, usually a dull one). Or he could just be a horse that needs more time between starts. He is young enough that I don't plan to push it and will likely wait until he is 100% again before scheduling instead of the usual 98%+....or at least until he's showing some sharpness in his works.

SCHEDULING: Gold Suit is ready. Fourth and third last two outs at $32.5 claiming. Minor traffic issues in both. I'd like to shorten him up slightly to a 7F-mile range, and would be fine with moving him to $25K. Tough to find exactly what I want but settle on a mile at $32.5K on May 4th.

RACES: Devil Key, 4yo+(F) 6.5F on the dirt, $16,000 claiming. She is the 2-1 second choice and breaks from post 4 in a field of 10.

A puzzling race. She was midpack, then dropped back two-three more lengths until the turn. Big charge halfway through the turn and stretch but ended up sixth, but only 3 1/2 lengths behind the winner. She broke her maiden at this distance and looked to compete with this group but acted like a horse who was running above her class level or one that needed a route.

Part of the problem is solved after the race. Devil Key grabbed a quarter and will need some time off. That makes this a race that shouldn't be studied too closely.

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FOFC STABLE STATUS -- MAY 2006

Record: 17 starts, 2 wins, 2 place, 4 show (ranked 111th)
Purse money won: $50,980 (ranked 142nd)
Current bankroll: $15,420
Trainer: Ubaldo Diaz

Gold Suit -- 5yo chestnut horse. Bought for $18K. Energy is 99.
2006 record: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 place, 1 show. $7,560 in earnings.
Last: 1 1/16 miles on dirt at $32,500 claiming, finished 4th.

Devil Key -- 4yo chestnut filly. Bought for $24K. Energy is 90, has a grabbed quarter.
2006 record: 5 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 0 show. $17,660 in earnings.
Last: 6.5F on dirt at $16,000 claiming, finished 6th. (injured)

Ain't Armor -- 3yo bay filly. Bought for $8K. Energy is 100.
2006 record: 4 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 2 show. $14,100 in earnings.
Last: 6.5F on dirt Maiden Claiming $16,000, finished 1st.

Nasty Sis -- 6yo bay mare. Bought for $16K. Energy is 96.
2006 record: 4 starts, 0 win, 2 place, 1 show. $11,660 in earnings.
Last: Mile on dirt $16,000 claiming, finished 8th.

Seattle Back -- 3yo gray colt. Claimed for $40K. Energy is 98.
2006 record: 4 starts, 3 win, 1 place, 0 show. $51,400 in earnings.
Last: Mile on dirt $40,000 claiming, finished 1st. (claimed).

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5/1/2006:

NOTES: Seattle Back is finally up to 98 in energy, but his work this week was still just average (5f, 100.2) so I'm still going to hold off on entering him.

SCHEDULING: None.

RACES: Gold Suit -- one mile on the dirt, 4yo+, $32,000 claiming. He is the 3-1 second choice and breaks from post 2 in a 9 horse field. He is not a speedster so he'll have to watch out for traffic on the rail......and he's had a nose for finding traffic. There doesn't look to be a lot of early pace in the race. Without some improvement here we'll have to rethink his best level.

Was able to stay in good position around midpack, moved three wide briefly on the turn but nothing big and was a solid second behind the favorite (who was claimed) with an 83 speed rating (consistent - his last three ratings are 82, 84 and 83). He doesn't have much push the last half furlong or so but I'm not sure he's suited for the pace of a sprint. Finding a horses best distance is such a matter of trial and error.

[Coffee Warlord]

Ya know, I'd give this game a go, but $34.99 seems a bit on the steep side.

[QuikSand]

Since you are doing a nice job "talking the talk" here's a minor tip. Use "out of" when you are referring to the dam, use "by" when referring to the sire.

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5/8/2006:

NOTES: None

SCHEDULING: I realize that this the last week of racing for the early meeting. There will be four weeks with no races at Florida. We don't have any stakes horses as of yet so we won't be looking for races at another track and will give the FOFC Stables horses a month to rest up. That means I want to get as many horses in this week as possible though, even if the race is not optimal.

Seattle Back jumped from 98 to 100 and had a better workout (4f, 47.4) so we'll look for a race for him. I want to test him against allowance company so I'll be looking for a NW1X (non-winners of a race other than maiden or claiming -- this is the lowest allowance category). Last race he won at a mile but I'm willing to try him at most any distance. Don't have to look far -- there is a race Saturday that fits and he's entered.

Nasty Sis had nowhere to go in the stretch last time out at $16K. I'm OK with keeping her at that level but would consider 12.5K as well. Can't find exactly what we want but find a mile race at $20K and she's in.

RACES: We have a decision to make off the bat. Thursday both Nasty Sis and Ain't Armor are scheduled to run but the track will be muddy. Ain't Armor has never run on an off track so we'll keep her in and see how she does. Nasty Sis has a poor off track record so since the race was a stretch anyway I'm going to scratch her. A six year old horse only has so many races left -- I want to maximize her chances in all of them.

Ain't Armor -- 3yo(F) going 8.5F on a sloppy track, $16,000 claiming. At 15-1 and breaking from the outside of a 9 horse field she is not seen as a threat.

And she decidedly is not. Falling behind quickly she is last and 20 lengths behind the leader at the half. The margin doesn't get any worse from there at least, and she manages to pass three tiring horses in the stretch, but a tepid 36 speed rating tells me that even if she hated the slop she's still got a ways to go just to compete at this low level.

Not that I'm bothered in any way about that. A solid $8,000 claimer that isn't good enough to be stolen away but can rack up in-the-money finishes will more than earn its feed. We've just got to wait to be eligible for those $8K claimers.

Seattle Back 3yo, 6.5F on dirt, NW1X Alw. He is the third choice at 5-1 behind co-favorites at 9-2 in a wide open race. I'm very annoyed at the jockey choice, a bum who has won 4 races in 101.

This is one of my pet peeves about the game -- if I'm entering the damn horse I'm going to want at least a jockey who has proven themselves to be competent. Jockeys are rated on things like getting out of the starting gate well, handling the horse, sprints/routes, etc. They can be a very important factor at times.

Anyway, Seattle Back takes the lead from the break, pressed by the favorite. He is in front by a head at the quarter and by a half length at the second call. The favorite takes a short length lead at the top of the stretch while Seattle Back battles gamely for second throughout the drive, ending up third, one length back of the winner. The top three horses were four lengths up on the rest of the field.

Very pleased with the performance. He most certainly competes at least at this level and that makes me feel optimistic about the claim.

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CW, I know what you mean. Can say that I've put at least a hundred hours into this game though, which makes it seem not as bad for me.

Quik, d'oh! Thanks for the reminder. Hope you're enjoying it.

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No races for four weeks now.

FOFC STABLE STATUS -- JUNE 2006

Record: 20 starts, 2 wins, 5 place, 5 show (ranked 121st) (last 111th)
Purse money won: $61,270 (ranked 131st) (last 142nd)
Current bankroll: $18,210 (last $15,420)
Trainer: Ubaldo Diaz

Gold Suit -- 5yo chestnut horse. Bought for $18K. Energy is 100.
2006 record: 5 starts, 0 wins, 1 place, 1 show. $13,560 in earnings.
Last: One mile on dirt at $32,500 claiming, finished 2nd.

Devil Key -- 4yo chestnut filly. Bought for $24K. Energy is 97, has a grabbed quarter.
2006 record: 5 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 0 show. $17,660 in earnings.
Last: 6.5F on dirt at $16,000 claiming, finished 6th. (injured)

Ain't Armor -- 3yo bay filly. Bought for $8K. Energy is 100.
2006 record: 5 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 2 show. $14,100 in earnings.
Last: 8.5F on dirt (wet), claiming $16,000, finished 6th.

Nasty Sis -- 6yo bay mare. Bought for $16K. Energy is 100.
2006 record: 4 starts, 0 win, 2 place, 1 show. $11,660 in earnings.
Last: Mile on dirt $16,000 claiming, finished 8th.

Seattle Back -- 3yo gray colt. Claimed for $40K. Energy is 99.
2006 record: 5 starts, 3 win, 1 place, 1 show. $55,690 in earnings.
Last: 6.5F on dirt (wet), NW1X Allowance, finished 3rd.

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6/12/2006:

NOTES: None.

SCHEDULING: Everyone is ready to go except Devil Key who should be fully recovered from her injury in another week.

Gold Suit. I'm torn between risking him at $25,000 or trying him in a sprint at the $32,500 he's been running at. I go for the sprint which will be in two weeks.

Ain't Armor. Still no claiming races below $16,000 for 3yo's. I find a 6 furlong race in around 10 days. It will be a nice comparison to the 1 1/16 miles she ran last time against the same class.

Nasty Sis. Not much around in the $16-20K range on dirt she's been at, but there is a $25K claimer on turf the first day back. She ran much better speed figures on grass late last year so despite the jump it's worth a shot.

Seattle Back. Slim pickings for 3yo NW1X races. There is one this week but it's 5.5F on turf and I want to see what he can do on dirt for now. Other than that it's either minor stakes or a NW1 on 7/8 at 8.5F. He's got to prove to me he can win NW1 before I'm putting up any money for a stakes race so we go with the race three weeks out. Again, no harm in going slowly with a 3 yo -- he is likely still developing.

RACES: Nasty Sis, 4yo+(F), 8.5F on the turf (wet), claiming $25,000.
Yikes, rain again. She has a pretty dismal record on off tracks but maybe that will be minimized on the grass. She is an outsider at 8-1 and breaks from the 3 hole in an 8 horse field.

She broke a length slow, hung back in a tightly packed group until the turn where she made a strong move to catch the leader and then drew off in the final sixteenth to win by 2 lengths. How about that! Paid $19.30 for a $2 win ticket and ran a nice 89 rating. The race set up for her perfectly, there were multiple times she could have gotten stuck but each time it just opened up for her when she got there.

Nice surprise. I love when things like that happen. Needless to say, I have not been using her properly.

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6/19/2006:

NOTES: Just to follow up on Nasty Sis. Her last two races in 2005 and her first in 2006 were on turf. Each of those speed ratings was in the 80's. On the three dirt races I ran her on, the ratings were 74, 56 (wet) and 66 (blocked). Since she had only 3 shows in her 6 turf life starts, I explained the drop off as just getting old. Last race showed a clear preference for the turf. As in real life, you discount speed ratings at your own peril.

SCHEDULING: Devil Key is ready to go. We find a nice 6F sprint at $16K for her next week.

RACES: Gold Suit, 4yo+, 6F on dirt, claiming $32,500. He is the 5-1 fourth choice starting on the rail in a 10 horse field. He has been routing lately so it will be interesting to see how he does in a sprint.

He saves ground at the back of the pack, 7 lengths back of the leaders, then makes a BIG move around the turn, is fourth and gaining at the top of the stretch, smoothly moves to the lead and wins by daylight. That's two nice wins in a row for FOFC Stables!

Ain't Armor, 3yo(F), 6F on dirt (wet), $16,000 claiming. She is a 25-1 longshot starting from the rail in a field of 7. She did really poorly last time out in the slop as well. Maybe the shorter distance will help.

Or then again, maybe not. Like the last race, she breaks last, lags behind the field and passes a few tired horses in the stretch. I'd like to have a dry track at this level just to see if there's any difference and maybe also just try her on grass just in case. Her speed rating did improve to a 57 from 36 last time, suggesting she preferred the shorter distance.

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6/26/2006:

NOTES: None.

SCHEDULING: None.

RACES: Devil Key, 4yo+(F), 6F, $16,000 claiming. She is the 7-2 second choice in her return from injury, starting from post 6 in a field of 9. If all goes well I think she'll be quite competitive here.

We've been getting some nice trips lately. She sits fourth a few lengths back of the leaders and once again makes a big move at the quarter pole and runs the field down, winning by 3 with a rating of 82.

The best news is that we should have enough banked after these past couple weeks to start looking to add another horse!

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FOFC STABLE STATUS -- JULY 2006

Record: 24 starts, 5 win, 5 place, 5 show (ranked 60th) (last 121st)
Purse money won: $106,210 (ranked 91st) (last 131st)
Current bankroll: $55,650 (last $18,210)
Trainer: Ubaldo Diaz

Gold Suit -- 5yo chestnut horse. Bought for $18K. Energy is 98.
2006 record: 6 starts, 6 win, 1 place, 1 show. $31,560 in earnings.
Last: 6F on dirt at $32,500 claiming, finished 1st.

Devil Key -- 4yo chestnut filly. Bought for $24K. Energy is 96.
2006 record: 6 starts, 2 win, 1 place, 0 show. $28,460 in earnings.
Last: 6F on dirt at $16,000 claiming, finished 1st.

Ain't Armor -- 3yo bay filly. Bought for $8K. Energy is 99.
2006 record: 6 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 2 show. $14,640 in earnings.
Last: 6F on dirt (wet), claiming $16,000, finished 5th.

Nasty Sis -- 6yo bay mare. Bought for $16K. Energy is 98.
2006 record: 5 starts, 1 win, 2 place, 1 show. $27,260 in earnings.
Last: 8.5F on grass (wet) $25,000 claiming, finished 1st.

Seattle Back -- 3yo gray colt. Claimed for $40K. Energy is 100.
2006 record: 5 starts, 3 win, 1 place, 1 show. $55,690 in earnings.
Last: 6.5F on dirt (wet), NW1X Allowance, finished 3rd.

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7/3/2006:

SCHEDULING: Three horses are ready to be scheduled.
Gold Suit comes off his 6F win at $32,500 claiming. I don't want to risk losing him so will move him a rung higher but don't see any sprints at that tag in the near future. I find a $40,000 race at a mile for him this week.

Ain't Armor is still waiting for the lower 3yo filly claiming races to open up. She hasn't proved capable so far so I see no point in running her higher than she has been. It's a month out until the next 3yoF $16K claimer but I stick her in there.

Nasty Sis woke up big time last out on the turf, winning at 1 1/16 miles. There is a $32,500 claiming race at 1 1/8 miles this week. That's a pretty high level for a 6yo mare, but she seems to fit based on that last race.

RACES:
Nasty Sis, 4yo+(F), 9F on grass, claiming $32,500. She is 11-1 and starting from post 9 in a field of 10. A tough spot for sure.

She had no excuse. Broke fine, no traffic problems but was in the back of the pack the entire race and finishes last. That's just too high a level it appears.

Gold Suit 4yo+, 8F on dirt, claiming $40,000. He is the 7-2 second choice, starting from post 3 in a field of 9. The 8-5 favorite looks like the only speed in the race which will make it tough for a closer like our horse.

Surprisingly the favorite got pressure from two other horses on the front end and Gold Suit was able to sit by himself on the rail about 5 lengths back. But there was no late run and he faded to a dull 6th.

Seattle Back, 3yo, 8.5F on dirt, NW1X Allowance. He is the 5-2 favorite in a contentious field of seven (three 4-1 horses and a 9-2 behind him). We've drawn post 2.

He vies for the lead with a quick pace of 1:10.1 after six furlongs. Seattle Back sticks a nose out in front and then is blown away by the 9-2 Ed's Name who runs off and hides while we fade to fourth. Looking over the past performances it seems the winners form was hidden some -- he was trounced in his past couple races......the Preakness and Belmont. Back with this kind of company he was a 20/20 hindsight standout.

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7/10/2006:

NOTES: I notice our trainers favorite jockey Nadine Cromer is injured and out for 85 days.

SCHEDULING: Nobody is ready.

None of the FOFC horses are racing this week so we'll look for claim possibilities.

Find a tempting horse on Wednesday's card. Storm Sue is a 4yo filly entered for a $32,500 claiming sprint. She has raced five times this year with two wins, two place and one show and has already earned close to $50,000 this year. She is stepping up from a very solid win at $25K and has not run a race lower than an 82 speed rating all year. She has sprinted consistently but I can't help but wonder if she could stretch out -- all of her racing lines show her to stalk the pace in fourth position or so and then steadily move up. With our cash reserves of $55,000 it's a risk since we'll only have around two months operating cash on hand if we make this move.

My thought is that she'll be eligible for $25,000 starter allowances as well. That can be a nice way to rack up cash without the pesky worry about being claimed. Let's go for it. The claim is placed.

It's a very short race at 5.5F and the track is slightly wet. Storm Sue sits midpack but manages to avoid too much trouble and makes a strong move down the stretch to finish a hard-charging third. I really think this filly just needs some more distance.

Our claim goes through, and Storm Sue becomes FOFC Stables' sixth horse.

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7/17/2006:

SCHEDULING: Devil Key is ready to go again off of her 6F win at $16,000 last out. I really think this is her best level but will go up one notch if necessary, so I'm looking for a $16-20K sprint. I find a race Sunday for $16K at 6.5F. It's a risk to run a winner right back at the same level, but I really don't think she's a $20K horse at this point and would rather try for the purse.

RACE: Devil Key, 4yo+(F), 6.5F on dirt, $16,000 claiming. She is the heavy 4-5 favorite and breaks from post 4 in a field of 9.

She sits in the catbird seat at the quarter, 3/4 of a length back of horses dueling on either side of her for the lead. Steadily moving up around the turn, she draws off by three at the top of the stretch and maintains that lead for her second win in a row, this time at a more realistic 71 speed rating. And no claim!

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7/23/2006:

SCHEDULING: It seems pretty clear that the ceiling for Gold Suit is somewhere between $32,500 where he is very competitive and $40,000 where he has not been. On a whim I take a look at the history of his sire, Marked Tree, to see if I can find any hints on what to do with him.

The sire history has one huge flaw which effectively breaks it -- it is only for the current year. Which means that every January 1 the stats start from scratch. So the tendencies of a sire can be greatly effected by one prodigy. But we're halfway through the year so at least I can see if Marked Tree's offspring show any glimmer of grass ability.

Turns out that although Marked Tree sits in the 149th spot overall for sires, he is 74th in the grass sire list. So let's see if any of that carried forward and find a grass claimer for Gold Suit. There is a $32,500 claimer for a mile on turf Wednesday and we enter him.

Seattle Back is ready to run again. Though he was just fourth in his last race, I still feel good about him. I believe that his main problem now is not having enough races -- his last race was his first route ever and after a six week layoff, which followed a similar six week absence. The condition book is not kind to us however and we settle on another NW1X in three weeks.

RACE: Gold Suit, 4yo+, 8F on grass, $32,500 claiming. He is the 6-1 fifth choice of a field of 8 and will be coming from the 4 hole. With no prior grass history the bettors are taking a wait and see attitude. I think it's worth $100 across the board at that price. (By the way, Longshot Larry tabs him for second, though Professor Ed and Lucky Steve both ignore him).

Gold Suit was unhurried early and saved ground midpack through the first turn and down the backstretch. At the quarter pole he swings out and starts a bid through the turn but cannot do much more and finishes a steady but beaten sixth. That's why they call it gambling.

I am surprised and kind of disappointed though to see that we've lost our first horse. Gold Suit was claimed for $32,500 by Stapleton Stables. We bought him at the Horses of Racing Age auction for $18,000. This year he earned $31,560 for us in 8 starts, with one win, one place and one show.

So let's see how we did with Gold Suit.
Purchased - $18,000
Training (6 mos) - $12,000
Total Cost - $30,000
Earned $31,560
Claimed for $32,500
Total Earned - $64,060

So we made $34,060 from our time with Gold Suit. Well, minus that $300 I bet.

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FOFC STABLE STATUS -- AUGUST 2006

Record: 29 starts, 6 win, 5 place, 5 show (ranked 54th) (last 60th)
Purse money won: $119,350 (ranked 97th) (last 91st)
Current bankroll: $68,490 (last $55,650)
Trainer: Ubaldo Diaz

Devil Key -- 4yo chestnut filly. Bought for $24K. Energy is 96.
2006 record: 7 starts, 3 win, 1 place, 0 show. $39,260 in earnings.
Last: 6.5F on dirt $16,000 claiming, finished 1st.

Ain't Armor -- 3yo bay filly. Bought for $8K. Energy is 100.
2006 record: 6 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 2 show. $14,640 in earnings.
Last: 6F on dirt (wet), claiming $16,000, finished 5th.

Nasty Sis -- 6yo bay mare. Bought for $16K. Energy is 98.
2006 record: 6 starts, 1 win, 2 place, 1 show. $27,260 in earnings.
Last: 9.0F on grass $25,000 claiming, finished 10th.

Seattle Back -- 3yo gray colt. Claimed for $40K. Energy is 99.
2006 record: 6 starts, 3 win, 1 place, 1 show. $58,030 in earnings.
Last: 8.5F on dirt, NW1X Allowance, finished 4th.

Storm Sue -- 4yo black filly. Claimed for $32,500. Energy is 97.
2006 record: 6 starts, 2 win, 2 place, 2 show. $48,560 in earnings. ($0 with FOFC)
Last: 5.5F on dirt, $32,500 claiming, finished 3rd and claimed.

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7/31/2006:

NOTES: We gotta find another horse.

SCHEDULING: As you see above, Nasty Sis is ready. That last race is a puzzler, but I believe I've made a mistake. With a 6yo mare my thinking shouldn't be to maximize her racing level than maximizing her chances per start. Bottom line grass claiming of $25,000 will work, but I'll drop her to a $20,000 or even $16K dirt race if those are easier to find. She's earned the easier company and I would be surprised if she was taken at her age. There is no bottom level grass claimers in the near future so we find a 9.0F $16K claimer for her next week. I think she could fit well there.

RACES: Ain't Armor, 3yo(F), 6F on dirt, $16,000 claiming. She's 31-1 and starting from the outside in a field of 7.

I feel sort of sad just seeing poor Ain't Armor's name come up for this week. The sort of sad you get when going to see your basement dwelling team play the arch-rivals that have been kicking your ass for about a hundred years. I know she's overmatched. I don't know why I'm running her and not just letting her sit for another month or so until I can get her to the $8-10K range. Anyway.

As will likely be no surprise, she drops back steadily from the gate to about 10-12 back. And gradually loses some more to the leader, but made a decent run down the stretch, gaining three spots from considerably tiring horses but nonetheless ran pretty well considering she is running pretty far over her head.

Forgot to look for another horse. Next week.

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8/7/2006:

NOTES: We will be looking for a claim this week. We've currently got four females and one 3yo colt. I'd like to get a 4yo+ male for balance.

SCHEDULING: Devil Key has won her last two starts at $16K. No way to avoid moving her up. There is a $20K claiming sprint this week, we'll try her there.

Storm Sue is ready for her first start for FOFC. As I've mentioned, she looks to need some more room and was the favorite at $32.5K last out. Luckily there is a $25,000 starter allowance at one mile this week. She's in. For those who may not know, a starter allowance is basically a non-claiming race for claiming-class horses. Since Storm Sue has run for a $25,000 claiming tab within the past six months, she is eligible for this race. The horses in such a race tend to be better than the price level. I'd guess for a $25,000 starter race you should be able to be competitive in the $32.5-$40K range.

RACES: Nasty Sis, 4yo+(F), 9.0F on dirt, $16,000 claiming. She is the even money favorite coming from post 7 in a field of 8. Quite a drop from where she's been running, though she's clearly been better on grass than dirt.

She runs horribly. Seventh the whole way around, 15 lengths behind the leader. Makes a bit of a run but is so far back it doesn't even matter. A 40 speed rating, 16 points off her next worst showing. A check of the stable screen after the race has even worse news for her and FOFC. Nasty Sis has torn her suspensory and is out until at least December. For a 6 year old mare, that very well may have been her last race.

Storm Sue, 4yo+(F), 8F on dirt, $25,000 starter alw. She is the 7-2 third choice in a contentious field of 7, breaking from the 2 hole. Very interested to see how she handles the added distance as well as this class of race.

She breaks second and stays about a length or two off the leader while saving ground. Swinging out on the turn she slowly closes the gap and makes a sharp move at the top of the stretch to put her nose in front...but that's about it as she slowly drops back to finish fourth, 4 back of the winner. All in all not a bad first effort at a route -- we'll try her back at the same distance next time and see if she'll be able to stay a bit longer.

Devil Key, 4yo+(F), 6F on a muddy dirt track, $20,000 claiming. She is the 4-1 second choice starting from post 3 in a field of 10. She's had one previous off-track start, finishing third.

She settles mid-pack along the rail in some tight quarters though she isn't affected by it. Swinging out along the turn she moves up, is slightly blocked at the top of the stretch but then along with the 8-5 favorite breaks clear and after a prolonged battle to the wire nabs her third straight win by a neck. The 6 to 6 1/2 furlong distance really seems to suit her.

CLAIMS: After looking very hard at but then passing on some promising 3yo colts earlier in the week there wasn't much to choose from until Sunday brought an interesting prospect to the table.

Vegas Fun is a 5yo horse by Devil His Due out of a Miswaki mare, not stellar but you could do a lot worse. The interesting thing about this horse is that he is running his fifth consecutive grass race. Here is his record on dirt and on turf:
Dirt: 7 starts, 5 win, 1 place, 0 show
Turf: 5 starts, 1 win, 0 place, 0 show
I can only see a couple of those dirt races on his record but they were $25 and $32.5 claimers that he ran 90+ ratings in, winning one. His turf races have all been NW1X and he's showed little at that level. Today he is back to $25,000. I put in a claim, and if it goes through we'll likely move him back to dirt. No sense overthinking a record like that.

We get the claim. He is 9-1 and goes six wide around the first turn, losing 4 lengths and finishes 7th, 6 behind the winner. He's definitely moving back to the dirt.

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8/14/2006:

NOTES: It's the end of the line for Nasty Sis. She'll be 7 and coming off major injury if she is even able to recover to racing form. At best she would be a bottom level claimer, but keeping her training costs in the meantime does not seem to be a cost-benefit situation. I wish Racing Breed allowed you to breed your mares after they retire but that is something for (hopefully) an updated version. We're offered $1,000 by a breeding farm and take the offer.

Final tally for Nasty Sis:
Purchased - $16,000
Training (7 mos) - $14,000
Total Cost - $30,000
Earned $27,260
Sold for $1,000
Total Earned - $28,260

We lost $1,740 with Nasty Sis.

Also, we're back down to five horses. We'll look for another claim.

SCHEDULING: Ain't Armor is ready. We're finally able to get her in a lower price race now that September is around the corner. There is a 8.5F race at $10,000 three weeks from now. I'm not sure that's her right distance, but I'm more interested to see how she competes at that level and enter her there.

RACES: None.

CLAIMS: None.

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8/21/2006:

NOTES: None.

SCHEDULING: None.

RACES: Seattle Back, 3yo, 6.5F on dirt, NW1X allowance. He is co-third choice at 6-1 behind two very strong favorites, one who lost a G3 handicap by a head and another who has been running consistently in the 90's. Breaking from post 9 in a field of 10.

It was a crowded field towards the front and Seattle Back was in the thick of it sitting just off the leaders. Moved into second on the turn despite being wide but the two favorites ran off in the stretch and he finishes third, solidly the best of the rest.

CLAIMS: We find another 3yo colt, Musical Trail running for $16,000. He won his debut at $25,000 maiden claiming despite a ton of trouble and has some quick workouts to his credit. For $16,000 he could be a bargain and we make the claim. He runs OK and ends up fourth. The claim goes through, but that race wasn't what I'd hoped to see. But still, at worst we have another mid-level claimer and he is still liable to improve if we can find his spot.

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8/28/2006:

NOTES: At this point in the year I think we'll hold off on adding to our stable unless we rack up some decent purse money in the next month or so. The 2yo auctions will be coming up as well as the Horses of Racing Age and I'd like FOFC to be able to bring in at least one and hopefully 2 yearlings.

SCHEDULING: Vegas Fun is set to debut for us. We are getting him off the grass and back onto dirt, finding a $25,000 starter allowance at 8.5F on the dirt. He's ran well at $32.5 earlier in the year, hopefully he'll be able to handle this class level.

RACES: None.

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FOFC STABLE STATUS -- SEPTEMBER 2006

Record: 34 starts, 7 win, 5 place, 6 show (ranked 57th) (last 54th)
Purse money won: $139,960 (ranked 101st) (last 97th)
Current bankroll: $68,490 (last $41,600)
Trainer: Ubaldo Diaz

Devil Key -- 4yo chestnut filly. Bought for $24K. Energy is 97.
2006 record: 8 starts, 4 win, 1 place, 0 show. $52,460 in earnings.
Last: 6.0F on dirt (wet) $20,000 claiming, finished 1st.

Ain't Armor -- 3yo bay filly. Bought for $8K. Energy is 100.
2006 record: 7 starts, 1 win, 1 place, 2 show. $15,720 in earnings.
Last: 6F on dirt, claiming $16,000, finished 4th.

Seattle Back -- 3yo gray colt. Claimed for $40K. Energy is 95.
2006 record: 7 starts, 3 win, 1 place, 2 show. $62,320 in earnings.
Last: 6.5F on dirt, NW1X Allowance, finished 3rd.

Storm Sue -- 4yo black filly. Claimed for $32,500. Energy is 97.
2006 record: 7 starts, 2 win, 2 place, 2 show. $50,600 in earnings. ($2,040 with FOFC)
Last: 8.0F on dirt, $25,000 StAlw, finished 4th.

Vegas Fun -- 5yo chestnut horse. Claimed for $25,000. Energy is 99.
2006 record: 4 starts, 0 win, 0 place, 0 show. $0 earnings.
Last: 8.5F on grass, $25,000 claiming, finished 7th and claimed.

Musical Trail -- 3yo bay colt. Claimed for $16,000. Energy is 97.
2006 record: 2 starts, 1 win, 0 place, 0 show. $11,280 earnings ($0 with FOFC).
Last: 8.0F on dirt, $16,000 claiming, finished 4th and claimed.

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9/4/2006:

SCHEDULING: Three are ready. Devil Key is coming off her third straight win at $20,000. Because the race was on mud and she had a bit of trouble I'm playing it safe and moving her up to $25,000. We find a 5.5F sprint next week, might be a bit short but we'll at least get an idea of how she competes at the level.

Storm Sue we want to put in another mile race to build off her first route try last out. Unfortunately, the first one at her level isn't for three weeks and I don't want her to have that big a layoff. So I find a $40K claimer at 6F this week.

Musical Trail was 4th with trouble in his first start against winners at $16K. His speed rating was decent though and with natural improvement I think that he should be competitive at $20K His debut was at 6F, his last at a mile, so we split the difference with a 7F race this week.

RACES: Musical Trail, 3yo, 7.0F on dirt, $20,000 claiming. He is the 8-5 favorite on the rail in a field of 10.

Breaks third along the rail about 2 back of the leader, passing the half mile pole moves to the lead and then runs off down the stretch, winning by 8 and running a 88 figure. That was a beautiful race, and he looked a completely different horse from the race we claimed him from.

Vegas Fun, 3yo+, 8.5F on dirt, $25,000 StAlw. He is a 23-1 outsider starting from post 9 of 10. His form is pretty hidden due to his wretched grass performances but if he is a better horse on dirt (as I suspect) he could surprise, though it's always tough coming from the outside.

Aaaaaaaaaand he runs very much like a 23-1 shot, five and six wide on the first turn and three wide on the far turn -- though I don't think that really mattered, because I never got a whiff of a move from the horse. We'll have to relook at this one.

Storm Sue, 3yo+(F), 6.0F on dirt, $40,000 claiming. Despite the class jump she is the 2-1 favorite coming from the 2 hole in a field of 8.

She breaks fifth and gets into a bit of traffic on the backstretch, but bulls her way through on the rail, takes the lead going into the turn and wins comfortably, running a 92. She looked much the best, maybe we should look at a lower level allowance....

Ain't Armor, 3yo+(F), 8.5F on dirt, $10,000 claiming. She is the 3-1 second choice on the outside in a field of 9. Now is when we finally get to see where she fits in the claiming ranks.

Better than $10,000! Despite being a step slow out of the gate and heading into the first turn 7 wide, costing around 4 lengths altogether and putting her dead last, she steadily closed ground down the backstretch and although being 3 wide through the far turn took the lead and won in a driving finish.

Four races, three wins. A great week.

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9/11/2006:

SCHEDULING: Seattle Back is ready. He has been competitive at the NW1X level so I see no sense in dropping him back down to the claiming ranks yet. There is a NW1X at 6F this week.

RACES: Devil Key, 3yo+(F), 5.5F on dirt (sloppy), $25,000 claiming. She is one of three 5-1 second choices behind 9-5 Crowning War who is racing for just the third time but put up a monster 96 figure last out at $20K. It's tempting to claim her but we won't.

She breaks from post 7 of 10 on a sloppy track, falls well back early, starts to run at about the quarter pole and rallies to just get up for fourth. The race served it's purpose by showing that right now she's just a little bit short of this level. The favorite wins, running a 95. I suspect that horse will be in an allowance next time out.

Seattle Back, 3yo+, 6.0F on dirt (muddy), NW1X allowance. He is 9-1 and on the outside of a field of 9.

He races evenly throughout, near the lead but four wide through the turn and unable to stay with the top two who run off and hide. He's not had great luck, I think he's better than his results would indicate but I'm going to need to see improvement soon.

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9/18/2006:

SCHEDULING: Ain't Armor shook off a troubled trip to win at $10,000 last out. We've ample evidence that she doesn't fit at $16,000 though I will note she did improve in each of her three races at that level. Anyway, it means I want to find a $12,500 race for her and they appear to be few and far between. I finally locate one about three weeks out and enter her.

Vegas Fun ran very wide yet disappointed at $25K starter level last time. I find a $32,000 claimer which should be somewhat softer and a level he won at earlier in the year, and also shortening him a bit to 7F as he doesn't seem to have a late move.

RACES: None.